Andrey Bobylev lost his right eye during the war. Lost eye of Kutuzov

13.03.2020

Contrary to popular belief, Kutuzov was not one-eyed. This, of course, is about Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, who commanded the Russian troops in 1812. About that same Kutuzov, whose cunning Napoleon was amazed at, calling the Russian field marshal "fox" and "devil". And about the very one whom modern films and illustrations in books constantly depict with one eye, now with an eye patch.

However, there is not a single historical confirmation of either "one-eyed" or the wearing of a bandage. In all lifetime images, claiming to be a portrait likeness, M.I. Kutuzov with both eyes. True, on some it is noticeable that the right eye “squints” strongly, but nowhere are there any bandages!

Kutuzov himself, already at an elderly age, in private letters sometimes complains to his wife, Ekaterina Ilyinichna, about eye fatigue, using precisely plural, for example, in 1800: "I am healthy, only my eyes have a lot of work." And in 1812, in a letter to his daughter Elizabeth: “... my eyes are very tired; do not think that they hurt me, no, they are just tired of reading and writing ... "

However, the myth of the "one-eyed commander" did not arise out of nowhere. Kutuzov was repeatedly wounded in the head and had every chance of losing not only an eye, but also life itself.

The first time this happened near Alushta in 1774, when Kutuzov, at that time still a prime-major, commanded a grenadier battalion. The author of the biographical book "The Life of Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov" F.M. Sinelnikov reports that the bullet hit "the left temple, and came out in the right eye, but did not deprive it of it," the eyes were only "slightly squinted." Sinelnikov was a close friend of Kutuzov, he began work on his book during the life of the commander, and, of course, he knew such details without any speculation.

Even with the current level of medicine, the likelihood of surviving such an injury is microscopically small. Kutuzov not only survived, but also retained both eyes. Moreover, the vision does not appear to have deteriorated much.

The second time Kutuzov's head suffered during the siege of the Turkish fortress Ochakov in 1788. Describing this wound, the sources differ in details, showing unanimity that it was also very heavy, and a bullet or a grenade fragment went through the head. However, even after that, Kutuzov saw with both eyes for a long time, and the wounded eye began to "close" only during the campaign of 1805.

In 1805, he was wounded in the head for the third time, this time lightly: during the battle of Austerlitz, his cheek was injured.

For a military officer, Kutuzov lived quite long life... Having survived severe wounds to the head, he died in April 1813 during a foreign campaign of the Russian army from complications resulting from a common cold. By this time, Kutuzov was at the height of glory as the winner of Napoleon, and the rulers of the countries participating in the anti-Napoleonic alliance wanted to see him at the head of the allied forces. The exact date of birth of the great commander has not been established, based on various sources, historians determine the time of his birth approximately in the interval of 1745-1747. Thus, death took Kutuzov when he was over 65 years old. The robot came to the conclusion that with the article "Kutuzov was not one-eyed" thematically related:

July 24, 1774 fighting a Turkish landing on a mountain pass near the village of Shuma, Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Kutuzov was the first to raise his battalion to attack and was seriously wounded in the head. To the surprise of the doctors, Kutuzov survived, but lost his right eye. Catherine II ordered that the hero be handed over 1,000 ducats, awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, and "discharged to heal wounds to warm waters for a year without deduction of salary." Subsequently, despite the injury, Kutuzov returned to service. With the rank of general, he commanded the Russian army in the war with Napoleon (1805), as well as with Turkey (1811).

Kutuzov fountain (Sungu-Su, Sungyu-Su; Ukrainian Kutuzov fountain, Sungu-Su, Sungyu-Su, Crimean cat. Sungu Suv, Sungyu Suv)(33rd km of the Simferopol-Yalta highway, before turning to the village of Luchistoe. GPS coordinates: N 44 44.561, E 34 21.728 ) is one of the main attractions of the Simferopol-Alushta highway and the only monument that took place near Alushta, the last battle of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-74, as a result of which the Crimean peninsula finally came out of the influence of the Ottoman Empire.

The first Russian-Turkish war ended with the signing of a peace treaty. The Turks considered him unfair - and violated the treaty

Less than two weeks after signing. One of the Turkish troops landed near Alushta

General-in-chief VM Dolgorukov in his report to Catherine II wrote the following about this battle: "... To repel the enemy, who unloaded the fleet and set up his camp near the town of Alushta, I hurried there with all possible speed ... On the 22nd (22.7-3.8 .1774g) I arrived ... in the very interior of the mountains, from where the road lying to the sea with a terrible gorge is surrounded by mountains and forest, and in other places with such abysses that with difficulty two people in a row can pass, only troops ... The belts opened the way for unicorns there.
Meanwhile, the Turks, separating from their main camp at Alushta ... in seven or eight thousand, occupied a solid four versts from the sea, in front of the village of Shumoy, in a very advantageous place, on both sides of which there were steep stone rapids fortified with retransfers.
The enemy, taking advantage of the convenience of the place and the superiority of forces, defended himself for more than two hours, when the square, leaning forward in impassable paths, acquired every step with blood, without stopping from both sides the strongest firing from cannons and rifles. "
It was ordered: “taking the enemy with bayonets?
... The Turks ... rushed headlong to Alushta, leaving their batteries, being driven to their vast camp standing on the shore.
... The number of the beaten enemy cannot be known, since their bodies were thrown down in the abysses and between the stones.
... From among the wounded ... of the Moscow Legion, Lieutenant Colonel Golenishchev-Kutuzov, who brought in his battalion, composed of new young people, to such perfection that in dealing with the enemy he was superior to the old soldiers.
This headquarters officer was wounded by a bullet, which, hitting him between the eye and the temple, left without a break in the same place on the other side of the face ... "
The Turkish bullet really turned out to be a fool, it did not touch the vital centers of the brain, and the powerful body coped with the painful shock and more than modest medical help- it all boiled down to the fact that the grenadiers washed the wound with water from the nearest source.

"Death rushed through his head,
But his life remained intact, -
God Himself took him to the feat! "

- wrote later about Kutuzov the poet Gabriel Derzhavin.

For his courage in this battle, Kutuzov was presented to the St. George Cross.

there is a legend about this event

I.Once at dawn, the inhabitants of Alushta saw many ships on the roadstead. It was on the Crimean coast that the Turkish fleet appeared under the command of Seraskir Haji-Ali-bey. Bristling with hundreds of cannons and thousands of janissaries' sabers, he stood in the roadstead near the shores of the fertile Alushta valley. As soon as the inhabitants of the city had time to hide in the high mountains, a huge army landed on the shore, and they began to destroy and burn everything in their path. The inhabitants had only one hope - Russian soldiers, who were stationed in a small garrison in the city fortress.

It was not easy for the brave rangers. All day half a hundred people bravely repelled the attacks of the Janissaries, waging an unequal battle from the ruins of the ancient fortress of Aluston. But the forces were not equal, and the Turks climbed and climbed ashore, as if they weren’t in number. One by one, the defenders fell from the bullets of the invaders, but did not surrender to the mercy of the victors. At the end of the day, the city was captured and the enemy moved towards the pass east of Chatyr-Dag.

But a detachment of grenadiers was sent to meet them from Simferopol to repel the attack and allow the enemy to pass on. At the head of the detachment was the fearless commander - Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov. The way to the southern coast was difficult at that time. Only after overcoming turbulent mountain rivers, high cliffs, steep descents and ascents of gorges, impenetrable dense forests, did the Russian soldiers come to the pass. For many, such a transition would not be up to the mark. But not to the courageous Russian heroes.

They went to the pass and marveled at the beauty that reigned around. But they did not have time to rest. Evil janissaries, hiding behind the mountain, began to fire cannon fire. The mighty mountain shuddered and plunged into a black haze. Then a mighty commander rose before the ranks of Russian soldiers. And he turned to them with a speech:

- Brothers! It is not the first time that we have to fight the enemy. We will not let the damned Turks seize our Crimean land, brothers! Forward, my brave fighters! Let's throw the enemy back into the sea, whence he appeared as an uninvited guest!

A fierce unequal battle broke out. Inspired by the words of Kutuzov, the Russians, not fearing death, rushed into the attack, under flying cannonballs and relentless firing from muskets. A brave commander walked in front of everyone. The light of the sun disappeared behind the smoke and powder smoke, but the Russian heroes moved forward and forward until their bayonets clashed with Turkish sabers in a fierce hand-to-hand combat. Kutuzov is in front of everyone, in the thick of the battle, he cuts the enemy to the left and to the right.

The seraskir was surprised to see how aggressively and fearlessly the Russian commander was fighting and was frightened. If you do not stop this brave man, he himself will kill his entire army. Then he himself grabbed Hadji Ali Bey's musket and began to aim. The Turk aimed for a very long time, wanting to inflict a mortal wound on the hated enemy, and finally fired. You see, the enemy son trained a lot in skill, he turned out to be a good shooter, a bullet fired by him hit Kutuzov in the head.

He fell like a decimated commander, hot blood flowed in a stream to the ground. The janissaries were overjoyed, rushed to him to capture him or finish him off. But the Russian soldiers surrounded their commander in a tight ring, put up bayonets with a wall, did not let the enemies come close. And while some of the grenadiers continued to fight pushing back the enemy, others raised Kutuzov in their arms and carried him to to the Sungu-Su spring, who beat out of the ground not far from the battlefield. The soldiers carefully lowered their commander onto dry leaves by the stream, washed the wound water. Kutuzov regained consciousness, opened his eyes, rose to his feet. The fatal wound was gone!

Then the soldiers understood that the water flowing from the source was not simple, but healing. They washed their wounds with it with this water, sipped life-giving moisture with bloody lips. The wounds received in battle were healed, strength returned and they rushed into battle. Yes, not only the strength returned, but there were three times more of them! The horde of janissaries could not withstand the impetuous pressure and they fled like cowardly jackals, abandoning their muskets and sabers.

He froze at the site of Hadji Ali Bey, seeing the enemy he had just killed, healthy and unharmed. From horror he almost lost his gift and only raising his hands to the sky silently prayed.

- O Allah, O Almighty Allah, how have I provoked your anger, that you have resurrected my worst enemy? - and, urged on by Russian bayonets, in superstitious fear, he rushed to run after his army towards Alushta.

Since then, the Turkish fleet has never again appeared off the coast of Alushta. And the Russian heroes received a new task - to pave a road in the Crimean mountains, so that the road would pass by a source of healing water. And at the very place where Mikhail Kutuzov recovered from a fatal wound, the soldiers built a fountain with a bas-relief of their fearless commander - the Kutuzov fountain.

The closest spring to the site of Kutuzov's wound established today, in which his wound could have been washed, is located two kilometers from the fountain..

The creation of a fountain (cheshme) at the source of Sungu-Su (bayonet-water - Turkic) by the road department of the Tauride province during the construction of a road to the South Coast of Crimea in 1824-1826 was probably quite traditional for Crimea.

The first known document concerning the Kutuzov fountain is a note dated 23 November 1830 from the office of the Tavrichesky governor to Lieutenant Colonel Shipilov, kept in the funds of the State Archive of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The governor of the Taurida province AI Kaznacheyev writes: "On my third day along the Alushta road, I saw the Kutuzov fountain in a dangerous position, the stones dispersed and could crumble. Therefore, I ask you to take measures to prevent the destruction of this beautiful fountain and monument."

The next document is from 1833. This is presented to the Governor M.S. Vorontsov for approval for subsequent reproduction in metal a draft explanatory text for installation at the Kutuzovsky fountain: "CLOSE TO THIS PLACE IN THE FIGHT WITH TURKS RANEN IN GLAZ GENERAL-MAIOR MIKHAIL LARIONOVICH KU'TUZOV POLYAMO POLYUM. In 1948 in Belogorsk a cast-iron plaque with the mentioned inscription was found. It is now kept at the WTC. As can be seen from archival materials, in 1834 the plaque was made and at the beginning of 1835 transferred to be installed on the monument. At the end of the 30s. The Kutuzov fountain is mentioned in P. Keppen's manuscript kept in the archive "Materials for the closest knowledge of the mountainous part of the Crimea", and in 1842 it appears on the military map of Colonel Betev
.

In 1856, in No. 22 of the Russian Artistic Leaflet by the publisher V.F. Timm published a drawing by F. Gross with the caption: "The Kutuzov Fountain in the Crimea." An inscription on the fountain was also given, similar to the text of 1835. The identity of the text made it possible to connect the board from Belogorsk with the Kutuzov fountain. But on Gross's engraving, the text panel in the center of the monument is clearly not made of metal and of a different shape than the plaque found in Belogorsk. Gross created the Crimean series between 1842 and 1845. and for the first time it was publicly presented in 1846 at an exhibition in Odessa. Consequently, the drawing and the change of the plaque date no later than 1845. In 1850, the fountain was mentioned in F. Dombrovsky's guide to the South Coast of the Crimea.

At the end of 1874, the St. Petersburg Mint issued a commemorative medal depicting the Kutuzov fountain. Above the image, at the upper edge of the medal, there are oval inscriptions: in memory of June 27, 1774, under it: FROM ELDER GRANDSON ... At the edge of the medal are the lines:

CLOSE TO THIS IS A MOST IN BATTLED WITH TURKS RANEN IN THE EYE GENERAL MAIOR MIKHAIL LARIONOVICH KUTUZOV FORMED: THEN FELDMARSHAL THE PRINCE OF SMOLENSKY.

The eldest among the field marshal's grandchildren from 1821 after the death of the first grandson of Illarion Matveyevich Tolstoy until his own death in 1883 was Pavel Matveyevich Tolstoy. "June 27, 1774" implies the date of the Shumsky battle. The date of July 24, indicated in some documents, was not read carefully. Even in the second half of the twentieth century, having figured out the figure, the month was read for a long time, like June. This is evidenced by the inscription "June 24" on the modern fountain, made in 1956. However, this date is also incorrect. As recent studies have proved, the Shumskoye battle took place on July 23, and on July 24 there was a reconnaissance in force on the Alushta camp of the Turkish landing.

Since 1831, the fountain has been supported by the state road services. In total, there were 6 reconstructions of the fountain (1832, 1845, 1874, 1904-1908, 1937, 1945).
During the Great Patriotic War The Kutuzov fountain was destroyed, but in 1945, to the then celebrated bicentenary of the birth of Kutuzov, it was restored. The central stele of the new monument was lower, with a gable top, but without a lancet niche. On the stele was fixed a waist bas-relief of Kutuzov, and two memorial plaques were placed to the right and left of the stele. To the right of the central part, a plaque with the inscription: “In the battle with the Turks on June 24, 1774, Lieutenant Colonel Kutuzov, at the head of his battalion, with a banner in his hands, burst in in der. Noises (now Kutuzovka) drove the enemy out of there. " Left - with the text recorded in 1910.
There was no more water in the new fountain, and the urn under the portrait had only architectural significance.
In 1956, sculptor L. Smerchinsky, designed by A. Babitsky, carried out work on the transfer of the fountain. A new highway was laid in the place where the old fountain stood. A new stone wall with a bas-relief and 1945 texts in Russian and Ukrainian was erected fifty steps northwest of the "Kutuzov" poplar. Monument fountain acquired modern look... At the same time, a number of gross mistakes were made in the design of the memorial.
The first thing that catches your eye upon a careful reading of these texts is, of course, that Kutuzov is named Major General. In 1774 he was a battalion commander and had the rank of lieutenant colonel. Three years later, in 1777, he was promoted to colonel, eight years later to brigadier, and only 10 years later, in 1784, he became major general.

Another mistake is the inscription "in memory of June 27, 1774." , since the battle in which Kutuzov was wounded took place on July 24, 1774.
The inscription stating that Kutuzov was "wounded in the eye" in this battle is also erroneous. The bullet hit Kutuzov in the left temple and went right through the right eye.
Asam source can be found across the road from the monument next to the restaurant.

In 1812, after Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Tsar Alexander I appointed Infantry-General Kutuzov commander-in-chief of the Russian army and conferred the title of His Serene Highness on him. Soon - on August 26 (September 7), 1812, Kutuzov gave Napoleon a general battle at Borodino, receiving the rank of Field Marshal for him. Russian troops held out, but suffered heavy losses. Then Kutuzov decided to retreat to Kaluga and surrender Moscow to the French. Having won time, replenishing and strengthening the rested army, during the period of fruitless "sitting" of the French in Moscow, the Russian commander forced their emperor to leave the Mother See and retreat west along the Old Smolensk road, through the lands already ravaged by Napoleon's invasion. At the same time, Kutuzov began to pursue the French to the south - in a parallel march, preventing Napoleon's intendants from supplying their soldiers with provisions and fodder. After the remnants of the French army were expelled from Russia, Kutuzov received the Order of St. George 1st degree, having already become a full cavalier of the highest military award
empire.

When it comes to the legendary commander Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, his image immediately comes to mind with an eye patch, which he actually did not wear. Bullets twice passed near Kutuzov's eyes, and the wounds were supposed to be fatal, but the commander was lucky enough to survive. Co-workers believed that great things were destined for Kutuzov.

A good start to the career of the future commander was given by Abram Petrovich Hannibal (arap of Peter the Great), when he was still in school. The talented student was presented to the court of Peter III, which determined his further destiny.

Kutuzov was not deprived of a sense of humor. He was very good at parodies. Once the future commander among his colleagues parodied Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev, who did not appreciate the joke. For this, Kutuzov was transferred to the Crimean army. It was then in the Russian-Turkish war in 1774 that he received his first eye injury. The bullet pierced the left temple, nasopharynx and flew out from the other side. The wound was considered fatal, but Kutuzov was lucky to survive and save an eye.
The second wound related to the eyes, he received 13 years later. Eyewitnesses told of a through wound from one temple to another slightly behind the eyes. The bullet passed literally in a hair from the brain, "one eye was slightly squinted." There was no limit to the amazement of the doctors, and the soldiers, all as one, saw God's providence in this.
By the way, he practically never wore a bandage, which is considered an integral attribute of Kutuzov. It was an invention of the directors in the films about the commander.

Among the many battles, Kutuzov had a chance to fight alongside Suvorov in the legendary assault on the Turkish fortress of Izmail. After the first unsuccessful siege, Kutuzov wanted to retreat, but Suvorov replied to him that he had already reported to Petersburg about the capture of the fortress and the appointment of Mikhail Illarionovich as commandant of Izmail. The next attack was successful, and the fortress was taken.

By 1793, Kutuzov was appointed ambassador to Constantinople. There, Mikhail Illarionovich has Sultan Selim III and Serasker Ahmed Pasha with his upbringing and diplomatic talent. It was rumored that Kutuzov even managed to visit his harem with the permission of the Sultan, which was generally unacceptable for other men and was punishable by death.

When the question arose of appointing a commander-in-chief in the war of 1812, the highest ranks nominated Kutuzov. Emperor Alexander I, who did not really favor the commander, nevertheless gave his highest permission, specifying that he himself washes his hands.
Death from a cold overtook the brilliant commander on April 5, 1813 in the Prussian town of Bunzlau.
The War of 1812 was considered the most studied event in the 19th century. will allow you to look at some historical events in a different way.

MI Kutuzov is the largest figure in the history of the Russian state. He was the greatest Russian commander, diplomat, statesman. Mikhail Illarionovich had the rank of Field Marshal, participated in the Russian-Turkish wars, commanded an army in the war of 1812. As a rule, he is depicted with an eye patch. What is the reason for this? Today we will tell the story of where Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov lost his eye, or rather, how he damaged it.

Biography facts

Before answering the question of where Mikhail Kutuzov lost his eye, let us consider some facts of his biography.

He was born in 1745 in St. Petersburg in the family of a lieutenant general. In 1759-1761 he studied at the Artillery and Engineering School, where his father was one of the teachers.

In addition to the fact that he was a military man, Kutuzov managed to visit the governor-general (Kazan, Vyatka, Lithuanian), as well as the military governor (Petersburg and Kiev). And also - the plenipotentiary ambassador to Turkey.

He was a count, and in 1812 he received the title of His Serene Highness Prince Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Smolensky. He was a student and associate of A. V. Suvorov, a full Knight of the Order of St. George.

Carier start

Before directly considering the facts about where Kutuzov lost his eye, let us analyze the facts from his career advancement.

In 1762, while managing the office of the Governor-General of Revel, he received the rank of captain. And then he was appointed company commander in the Astrakhan Infantry Regiment. Then this regiment was commanded by Suvorov.
From 1764 he served as part of the Russian troops in Poland, who fought against the Confederates, was the commander of small detachments.
In 1767, he was involved in the drafting of an important legal document of the 18th century, in which the foundations of the "enlightened monarchy" were consolidated, apparently as a secretary-translator. He understood and spoke German, French and Latin well.
From 1770 he took part in the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774.

Not a loss, but an injury

Starting to explain how Kutuzov lost his eye, it is necessary to clarify this issue. Strictly speaking, he was not deprived of this organ in the literal sense of the word. It is a fact that he received two injuries in the location of his right eye. Therefore, he did not see well for them.

In this regard, in fact, one should speak not about the lost eye of Kutuzov, but about the damaged one, since it is this fact that corresponds to reality. Proceeding from this, when speaking of injuries that led to injury, the word “lost” should be enclosed in quotation marks.

Punishment for wit

For the first time, the future field marshal was wounded when the Crimean army repulsed an enemy attack in one of the battles of the Russian-Turkish war. Kutuzov got there from the prosperous Danube army not as an outstanding expert on strategy and tactics. In this case, his cheerful nature and sharp tongue let him down.

At one of the friendly meetings that took place in 1772, Mikhail Illarionovich parodied the gait and manners of the commander-in-chief Rumyantsev. When the leadership became aware of this, Kutuzov was urgently transferred to a hot spot. After that, Kutuzov began to show caution and restraint in feelings, even with close people.

Battle of Noise

Now let's start the story of why Kutuzov actually "lost" his eye (recall that in fact he did not lose it, but damaged it).

As the appointed commander of the grenadier legion, on July 24, 1774, MI Kutuzov took part in a battle with the Turks, who landed near Alushta, near the village of Shuma. It was during the pursuit of the enemy that Mikhail Illarionovich, who was leading the attack, was seriously wounded in the head.

The bullet hit him in the left temple. She passed through the nasopharynx and exited at the right eye socket, miraculously without knocking out her eyes. Despite the medical pessimism, he survived, and the damaged eye could see, but began to squint slightly. Legends began to be told about the valor of the brave warrior. Catherine II received a report from Dolgorukov, Commander-in-Chief of the Crimean Army, in which the facts were told.

The Empress was amazed at the young commander's courage and unprecedented will to live. In it, she noticed the features of the future outstanding general. Kutuzov was awarded the Order of St. George of the 4th degree and sent to Austria to improve his health for two years. Upon his return, Mikhail Illarionovich was full of strength. Only the scar and the eyelid of the right eye, which was half closed, reminded of a severe injury.

Storm of Ochakov

Continuing the story of where Kutuzov "lost" his eye, let's talk about the second wound to the head. It followed 14 years later, when Mikhail Illarionovich was already a general. This happened during the storming of the Ochakov fortress, in which he participated. A splinter of a grenade hit the right cheekbone, knocking out almost all of the teeth and coming out through the back of the head. It should be noted that this is only one version of what happened.

There is also an echo. V medical journal the military surgeon Massot recorded not shrapnel, but bullet damage. His notes say that, ironically, the projectile practically repeated the old "route". The bullet pierced the left temple, it went behind both eyes, flying out from the opposite side, and blew away the inner jaw corner.

Doctors fought for the life of Kutuzov for seven whole days. To everyone's amazement, as he regained consciousness, he showed no signs of dementia and did not lose sight.

The general's miraculous rescue inspired physician Massot to write a noteworthy diary. In it, he believed that, since Kutuzov remained alive, having received two wounds, which, according to all the rules of medical science, were considered fatal, fate, apparently, destined him for something great.

Mikhail Illarionovich returned to the army a year later and continued a brilliant military career. Its climax was in his confrontation with Napoleon Bonaparte.

Blurred vision

In the story of where Kutuzov "lost" his eye, one cannot but inform about those negative changes in his vision that nevertheless occurred after the injuries suffered. Until 1805, he did not experience any tangible discomfort from being wounded. But then the vision in the right eye began to weaken. In addition, the pain intensified and also became more frequent. They were caused by squint and the fact that the eyelid involuntarily dropped, and eyeball was motionless. These pains did not let go of the commander until last days his life, that is, until 1813.

But in his letters to relatives, Kutuzov did not focus on the continuing deterioration in health. When the letters were not written by his hand, he tried to find all sorts of excuses for this. For example, he reported that his eyes were tired.

There was no bandage

Nevertheless, not a single portrait or a single document records that Kutuzov wore an eye patch. On the contrary, the artists clearly deduced the injury of the right eye.

Based on the medical report, which was drawn up by the attending physicians of Mikhail Illarionovich, modern ophthalmologists have come to following conclusion: he didn't need to cover his eyes. This is done in the following situations - either when they want to hide an unsightly picture of the absence of an eye, or to eliminate the effect of bifurcation of surrounding objects.

As we have already found out, the commander did not observe the loss of an eye as such, but the doubling of objects was present. This defect, as a rule, is a companion of strabismus in the presence of vision in both eyes. But at the same time, Kutuzov had a drooping of the eyelid, which covered the damaged eye. It also served as a bandage, eliminating the bifurcation defect.

Artistic fiction

At the end of the story about where Kutuzov "lost" his eye, it should be told that the filmmakers "put on" a black bandage on him. This was done in the 1943 film Kutuzov.

In this regard, there is evidence that with the help of this technique, the director Petrov strove to raise the morale of the soldiers who fought on the fields of the Great Patriotic War.

He believed that the blindfold of the great commander demonstrates that, being seriously wounded, he continues to defend Russia, showing unbending will. Later, in this way, Kutuzov appeared in the film "Hussar Ballad", and then in magazines, books, on monuments.

Nelson was not blind in one eye, not at all! In 1794, during the siege of the French fortress of Calvi, a cannonball exploded on the deck of his ship, and chips from the boards damaged the naval commander's right eye, so seriously that it almost spilled out. And although the eye almost completely lost its visual acuity, it looked healthy. And so healthy that Nelson with great difficulty managed to convince the British Navy Commission that he was entitled to a disability pension.

That is, I cannot agree with your opinion that Nelson saw absolutely nothing with his right eye. It's just that the eye has lost its visual acuity.

The national hero of England and the great naval commander, who stood out even among the greatest figures of his country - Admiral Nelson, thanks to the influence of cinema and painting, is presented as a man in a naval uniform and with an eye patch. There is even a joke that the expression "talk face to face" occurred after the meeting between Admiral Nelson and Kutuzov. In fact, Nelson never wore an eye patch. He did not wear anything at all on his injured right eye, but the only one healthy eye- left - the admiral covered from the sun's rays with a special eyecup embedded in his hat.

You will not find a single portrait of those years where Nelson would have been with a bandage, and, contrary to the beliefs of most people, supposedly "saw with my own eyes", the column in Trafalgar Square depicts the great admiral without any blindfolds. The black eyepatch began to be added only after the death of Nelson - to give more pathos to his portraits.

Here is the great admiral in Trafalgar Square in London without any bandage! They began to paint it only after the death of Nelson - to give more solemnity and rigidity to his portraits.

Nelson used his injury to his advantage more than once. During the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, he ignored the signal from his superior, Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, to retreat. Being in a more advantageous position, he saw that the Danes were about to take flight, and said to the captain of his flagship: "You know, Foley, I only have one eye, and sometimes I have the right to be blind." Then he raised the telescope to the "blind" eye and said: "I don't see any signal from the commander!"

Nelson was an outstanding tactician, charismatic leader and an undeniable daredevil - if he lived in our time, he would have long been introduced to at least three Victoria Crosses - but he was also a vain and ruthless man. As captain of the warship Boreas, in 1784, Nelson ordered the whipping of 54 of his 122 sailors and 12 of his 20 Marines — 47 percent of the crew. In June 1799, Nelson treacherously executed 99 prisoners of war in Naples - and this despite the fact that the British garrison commander personally guaranteed their safety.

During his stay in Naples, a love affair with Lady Emma Hamilton, the wife of the British ambassador, began, which continued until Nelson's death. (But that's a different story)